172: The Story of the Fifth Beatle, with Kenneth Womack - a podcast by Musical U
from 2019-04-19T00:21:51
Welcome back to Beatles Month!
We’re joined today by Kenneth Womack, author of a two-volume biography of George Martin: the label head and record producer who worked with The Beatles from the beginning of their recording career and was so instrumental to their success that he is often referred to as "The Fifth Beatle".
Ken’s two books were amazing to read and tell a familiar story from a perspective that was completely new to us, so we were really excited to talk with Ken and learn more about the role George played - and the conversation fully lived up to our high expectations.
We talk about:
• The similar background and particular blend of two character traits which George had in common with the four members of the band
• The surprising state of The Beatles' original songs when they met George, how he reacted to them, and how they managed to salvage a very inauspicious start!
• And what changes George made to their songs after the height of Beatlemania that is perhaps the reason they are still so renowned now, fifty years on.
Preparing for this interview really made us realise really made us realise just how little we’d known about the part George Martin played in the trajectory of The Beatles and just how pivotal he was to their great success. It really casts a new and interesting light on it all, and we hope you'll enjoy learning about it as much as we did.
You’re tuned in to Beatles Month at Musical U.
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Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 172
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